CIVIL servants seconded to the Commission for the Protection of Competition (CPC) are seeking compensation for the month of August, during which they were officially on strike.
Work at the CPC ground to a halt in early July, when employees walked out, complaining that their boss Giorgos Christofides was spying on them.
Staff claimed Christofides used the office CCTV system to watch their every move, that he listened in on their phone conversations and even scrutinised their emails.
It’s also been alleged that Christofides set up a live web-link from the offices to his laptop so he could keep an eye on his staff while he was out.
Police have completed a breach-of-privacy investigation into the allegations, and have forwarded their findings to the Attorney-general, who will now decide whether to prosecute.
Earlier this week, the two-month standoff at the CPC ended, with Christofides tendering his resignation.
He continues to deny any wrongdoing.
An ex-Supreme Court judge has been named as his successor.
But PASYDY, the civil servants’ blanket union, says that employees need to be paid for the entire time they were away from their desks.
The Mail yesterday contacted PASYDY head Glafcos Hadjipetrou, who said that civil servants at the CPC had been paid their wages in full for July but not for August.
Asked whether it was normal for the taxpayer to pay for civil servants on strike, Hadjipetrou said this was not a “by-the-book situation”.
“These people did not leave work because, for example, they were seeking better terms of employment. They left because their fundamental rights, which are enshrined in the Constitution, were violated. As such, it was the state’s responsibility to protect them.”
He added: “As a result of this mess [at the CPC], these people did not enjoy their summer holidays. Many of them had prepaid for package tours abroad, but because of the crisis were unable to go.”
Finance Minister Michalis Sarris confirmed to the Mail that the CPC employees had been paid for the month of July, but would not be for August.
“These were peculiar situations at the CPC, given the nature of the allegations against the employer [Christofides]. There will not be full payment of wages for August, however, some sort of accommodation will be reached,” he said.
Sarris said his ministry had received official notification of the strike on August 3 – one month after the actual walkout.
